queen of hearts

2 oz Fino Sherry
1 1/2 oz Watermelon Juice
1/4 oz Campari
1/4 oz Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
1/4 oz Grenadine
12 drop Absinthe (St. George)

Build in a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a watermelon slice and 2-3 dash Peychaud's Bitters.

After the Sandy Bottoms the night before, I was tempted to create a watermelon drink myself. I took a Cobbler direction with inspiration from the Corpse Reviver No. 33 with its curaçao and absinthe and the Pharaoh Cooler with its grenadine. Drinks like the Watermelon Negroni and the Sip Sip Hooray! inspired the Campari aspect (besides how well Campari pairs with grenadine such as in the Freaky Tiki. Finally, I utilized Fino as the base of this Sherry Cobbler, and this was perhaps influenced by remembering the Not a Melon the night before.
For a name, I dubbed this one the Queen of Hearts after an old heirloom watermelon varietal. Once built, it offered a watermelon and cherry nose. Next, a berry-like sip slid into crisp watermelon notes melding into bitter orange flavors on the swallow.